Parmesan Crusted Croutons
These Parmesan crusted croutons are toasted low and slow until dry, then tossed while hot in melted butter and cold Parmesan and finished in a hot oven, so the cheese bakes into a crisp golden crust that stays on every crouton. Any day old bread works, from sourdough to French bread to a store bought loaf.
Servings: 16
Calories: 220kcal
Equipment
- Half sheet pan
- Large mixing bowl
- Serrated bread knife
- Serrated bread knife
Ingredients
- 900 g day old bread cubed (sourdough, French bread, a store bought loaf, or any bread you have on hand)
- 40 g olive oil 3 tablespoons
- 5 g garlic powder 1 1/2 teaspoons
- 4 g onion powder 1 1/2 teaspoons
- 1.5 g ground turmeric 1/2 teaspoon
- 1 g dried parsley 2 teaspoons, or 1 teaspoon for a lighter herb flavor
- 3 g fine sea salt 1/2 teaspoon
- black pepper a few cracks
- 42 g unsalted butter melted (3 tablespoons)
- 100 g grated Parmesan kept cold (1 1/4 cups)
- 8 g cornstarch 1 tablespoon
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 275°F. Cut the bread into bite size cubes and place them in a large bowl.
- Drizzle the olive oil over the bread and toss to coat, then sprinkle on the garlic powder, onion powder, turmeric, parsley, salt, and pepper and toss again until evenly seasoned.
- Spread the cubes in a single layer on a half sheet pan and bake for about 30 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the bread is dried out. Pull them earlier for a softer center or keep going for croutons that are crunchy all the way through.
- Pour the hot croutons straight back into the bowl, drizzle with the melted butter, and toss to coat.
- Stir the cornstarch into the cold Parmesan, add it to the bowl, and mix by hand, pushing and squeezing the croutons as you go so the cheese presses onto the buttery surface.
- Spread the croutons back on the same pan and put it in the oven, then set the oven to 375°F and let it preheat with the pan inside.
- Stir after about 5 minutes, once the Parmesan starts to melt, then continue baking for a total of 10 to 15 minutes, until the cheese is golden and the croutons are crunchy.
- Let the croutons cool completely on the pan without moving them so the cheese sets, then serve or store.
Notes
Any Bread Works
Sourdough, French bread, Italian bread, ciabatta, or a store bought sandwich loaf all work. The recipe is built on a 900 g loaf, so if yours is smaller, weigh it and scale the oil, seasonings, butter, Parmesan, and cornstarch down to match. Softer breads dry faster, so start checking them early.
Why the Cheese Sticks
The bread dries before the cheese goes on, the hot croutons keep the butter fluid so it coats evenly, and cold Parmesan mixed with a little cornstarch scatters without clumping and binds as it melts. Mixing by hand presses the cheese into the butter far better than a spoon.
Parmesan
Already grated Parmesan works well here because it is dry and fine. If you grate your own, use a microplane so it coats like a powder, and keep it cold until it goes into the bowl.
Storage
Cool completely, then store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months. To recrisp, warm in a 350°F oven for about 5 minutes and let cool again.
Serving Ideas
Pile them on a wedge salad with blue cheese dressing, pickled red onions, and bacon, float them on tomato soup or chicken soup, or toss them into a Caesar salad.
